I've been quietly working on this for longer than I'd care to admit. It started when I caught myself opening my MakerWorld profile on my phone way too often, just to see what changed. Did anyone download the new model? Did i gain more followers? How did today compare to yesterday?  I'm a developer by day, so I did what developers do: I built a small companion app to scratch my own itch. I called it MakerStats, and over time it has grown into something I genuinely use every day.  I figured I'd share it here in case other creators might find it useful too.  What it actually showsMakerStats pulls together the public stats from any MakerWorld profile and lays them out in a way that's easier to scan than tabbing around on a small screen. For your own profile, you can also sign in to see your earnings data, with regular and exclusive points combined, which I always found a bit fiddly to add up manually.The things I personally use the most:Daily increase counters for downloads, likes, follows, boosts, prints, and points, with a clean baseline that resets at midnightHome Screen widgets, Live Activities, and lock screen stats, so your latest numbers are always one glance awayModel performance with color-coded badges for trending, featured, and exclusive designs, so you can spot which of your prints are catching onPoints tracking in your local Points Shop currency (USD, EUR, GBP, JPY, AUD, CAD, KRW, CNY), with automatic detection of withdrawalsCrowdfunding tracking for active, upcoming, and past campaigns, with cumulative-raised charts and reward-tier breakdownsInteractive growth charts across 7-day, 30-day, 180-day, and 365-day views, with tap-any-bar to see exact values for that dayMulti-account support, in case you manage more than one MakerWorld profileConfigurable notifications for follower milestones, model trending events, and new pledgesA note on dataEverything  MakerStats shows uses publicly available data that MakerWorld already exposes on profile pages. You don't need to sign in at all to look up a profile, browse a creator's models, or check stats. Signing in is only there for your own points and earnings, since those aren't public.And on the app's side, there's no analytics, no tracking, and no ads. Your data stays on your device.  Where to find itIt's on the App Store and Google Play, just search for MakerStats. A macOS version is in the works for anyone who'd rather glance at numbers on a bigger screen.If you try it and something feels off, or there's a number you wish it tracked, send me a note. I'm a creator on here too, and pretty much every feature in the app today came from someone else asking for it. P.S. App is paid, but it is a one time payment for lifetime ownership. I did not want to make it into subscription and i did not want to have annoying adds.  Happy tracking,  Minimal.

I continue to work on the Going Merry - I'm starting to create the individual parts, preparing for a test print. I also need to create the stand I have in mind, as well as the Jolly Roger.In the meantime, I picked up an ultrasonic knife (I had been given a gift certificate and had been wanting one). I've been testing it over the last day, and I can see how it will really help. When I did my saddlebill stork, it would have made a huge difference removing the supports from such a delicate structure. I had a practical use today for it: I've created a tray and letter system for some signs I use. It dramatically extends the life of the signs. I needed to extend some trays for a longer-than-usual sequence. I had a couple of extenders (I'd previously made some), but not enough for all the signs needing it. I had a spare full-size tray. Using the ultrasonic knife I was able to cut it apart to make several extenders. Yeah, I could have used a dremel, but this was a cleaner and quieter approach. I'll probably update that when I get more experience with it in future projects. I know the Going Merry will require supports on certain parts so that will be a great test. But so far, I think it has huge potential.

P2S Toolhead Cover Hinge and Tube Guide All in OneIt is highly likely that a significant number of P2S printer users are still unaware of the issue where tubes wear out due to friction with the top frame. I recommend trying the all-in-one model I developed. This model features an additional hinge on the tool head cover, and its tube guide resolves this problem of tube grinding. Many users have already tried it and left positive reviews. Please refer to the Maker World link below. https://makerworld.com/en/models/2362661-p2s-toolhead-cover-hinge-and-tube-guide-all-in-one#profileId-2585227

Filament TrackerEnglish: Hello everyone! Since I always wanted to keep a perfect overview of my remaining filament, I wrote a small script to track consumption.I’m sharing this here because I thought it might be useful for the community as well. However, since I am not sure if posting external download links is allowed or if there is enough interest in such software tools here, I’m starting with this post.What it does: Tracks your filament usage and helps you manage your stock.Note: This is a script/software tool, not a 3D model.If you are interested in this tool, please let me know in the comments! If the feedback is positive, I will provide the script/download here.  Deutsch: Hallo zusammen! Da ich schon immer den perfekten Überblick über mein restliches Filament behalten wollte, habe ich ein kleines Skript geschrieben, um den Verbrauch zu tracken.Ich teile das hier, weil ich dachte, dass es auch für die Community nützlich sein könnte. Da ich mir jedoch nicht sicher bin, ob externe Download-Links hier erlaubt sind oder ob überhaupt Interesse an solchen Software-Tools besteht, starte ich erst einmal mit diesem Beitrag.Was es macht: Trackt deinen Filamentverbrauch und hilft dir, deinen Bestand zu verwalten.Hinweis: Dies ist ein Skript/Software-Tool, kein 3D-Modell.Wenn ihr Interesse an diesem Tool habt, lasst es mich bitte in den Kommentaren wissen! Bei positivem Feedback werde ich das Skript bzw. den Download hier zur Verfügung stellen.

Table of Contents:PreambleMy printer and its upgradesPrinterAdd-onFilamentSourceUseStorage3d printing toolsPrinter relatedModel creationPrint cleaning & assemblyOrganisationOtherProcess overview:From box to storagePrinting methodologyPrograms and other toolsImage and vector editingCADMesh manipulationGenerating special models3d scanningProgrammingPostamblePreambleI am a 3d printing hobbyist that shares his created models for free on Printables and Makerworld. People seem to appreciate these models and, while absolutely not planned, started to follow me more and more since the 2 years I am doing this. At this point, I have a bit more than 750 followers on both platforms combined and my hobby is self-sufficient. This allows me to really not worry about it anymore and purely follow the passion. I am open to model suggestions and help users when I can but it can be a bit slow since I don't necessarily have a lot of time. Several times now, users asked me about my setup, so I make this article here as reference for the future as I don't have any social media. I don't claim it is the best setup, it's just the one I use, that developed over time and that seems to work fine since 2 years. I wish I could publish this article privately in my account, needing users to enter my account to discover it, to avoid annoying seasoned 3d printers but it doesn't seem to be possible (yet), sorry for the inconvenience. Being fluent in CAD I tend to fill my 3d model needs myself and while I refer to some of my models in this article, it's neither for my ego nor for clicks so feel free to check out alternatives. All the links pointing to my own models will lead to Makerworld as this article is posted there but would you prefer you can always find the equivalent model on Printables (the title might be slightly different). Here is the equivalent article on Printables if you are interested in that.My printer and its upgradesPrinterI have bought a bambu Lab P1S after watching videos and discussing with a 3d printing veteran who considered he lost years trying to make his previous printers work while this one worked flawlessly from the start. I am happy with it, since two years I only had 1 real issue when the AP board failed resulting in a clog (got replaced for free). I also only made about 6 spaghetti messes resulting in less than 200g wasted filament in total, the X1C wasn't an option in my mind and this confirms it quite well. The first update I made was to add the Bambu Lab PTFE Guide on top of the print head to avoid any friction with the top of the printer. Afterwards I looked at stopping the ptfe tube to slowly sneaking inside the printer by designing a PTFE tube stopper that goes on the ptfe tube just as it leaves the printer and prevents it from moving.For most of the 2 years I used a simple box behind my printer and a wall to catch all the purge material. When I changed my setup temporarily and lost the wall option I made this Purge Bucket for it. When going back, I kept it as the wide variant allows me to really forget about it for a long time.Add-onAfter 9 months I bought an AMS unit for it, I never really use it for real multi color printing (as it's quite wasteful) but it's certainly a nice quality of life update. I don't bother however with trying to keep it dry with desiccants. To keep the option of using a regular spool holder instead of only limiting myself to the AMS, I installed the AMS No-Catch Y-Splitter PC4-M10. It's handy for using cardboard spools and feeding TPU filament for example. To close off the unused ptfe tube when I use the AMS I use this PTFE tube cap with grabber model, now with a grabber instead of a ring for hanging it securely on the tube when not in use.To avoid needing to waste some ptfe tube I made a small PTFE tubes bridge. Depending where the bridge is located, the AMS might be too violent for it and I had to switch some of them to real bambu lab connectors. To ease the use of the AMS I also wanted to upgrade the funnels where the filament go into so that they would be easier to push and more resistant to wear. Sadly, existing models where not compatible with this new version of the ams so I made my own version of them: New feeders for Updated AMS.FilamentSourceI am not limiting myself to only one provider, I simply try and find filament at a good price with a good quality. Over time I used several brands:Bambu Lab (bulk filament)Prusa (special color blends)eSUN (bulk filament)Overture (clear PETG and TPU)Winkle (ASA and Marble PLA [great for lithophanes!])...I don't buy filament from Prusa or Bambu Lab with money anymore, only from the points we can obtain by using their sites. Average filament price is about 20€ for 1kg, it can be significantly less if you buy Bambu Lab filament by 6 (or more during special sales in July/August and December). eSUN filament can also be found cheaper on amazon at around 16€, lower if there is a sale. You can even buy their basic pla at around 12€ but it tends to be weaker than most PLA so I prefer their PLA+.UseThe first time I use a new filament I make a color swatch from it to keep it in mind for the future. Plenty exist but I use my custom design grouped by 20 on a custom holder that I made as well.To keep the spool together I use this nice small filament clip which doesn't impede the AMS and holds quite well. I print them in more heat-resistant filaments than PLA so that they can stay on while drying without issue. I also print them in 3 colors: for PLA+TPU, PETG and ASA to easily distinguish the materials.StorageBefore storing the filament, I dry the filament with my SUNLU FilaDryer S2(Image from the sunlu store) Here is a table with the default values (handy to have as the interface is quite sensitive and prone to changing values) for it and some that I changed over timeFilament TypeDefault ValueChanged ValuePLA50°C55°CPETG50°C60°CTPU55°C/ABS55°C/PA65°C/PC65°C/ASA uses the ABS temperatures as these are similar. For the rare cases when I need PVA I change a setting temporarily to 50°C I dry my filaments till they are in the 25° humidity range, 30-35° if they are in a cardboard spool. This little dryer works really well for it small price. After drying, I let them cool off a bit then I vacuum seal the filament roll in a 30x34mm vacuum bag with a small motorized pump.A motorized pump is essential in my opinion as it quickly becomes too much trouble to do it by hand and you tend to not anymore which voids the point. I use the valve-style bags as they are cheaper than the screw-on ones. To add more flexibility in which pump you can buy for them I remade the suction insert of the pump I bought. To help with this step, I put in each bag a small vacuum bag air disc scaled at 75% width, 75% length and 100% height I also remade the seal clip for them to have replacements in case I lost them. However, now that I bought several packs of vacuum bags, I have accumulated lots of spares so it's less important.3d printing toolsPrinter relatedHexscraper (Bed scraper) A common mistake I see is that people tend to destroy their printbeds with metal scrapers, there is really no need for them in my opinion. I use the original HexScraper personally, I tried the remixes with removable blades but they never were strong enough and broke easily. The original tend to last a long time however, especially as I reform their edge with sandpaper once a while. Isopropanol, soap and microfiber cleaning cloths The best way to clean up your print plate is with dish soap, a sponge and warm water. However you don't always need a deep clean so I keep a small spray bottle of isopropanol (99%) near my printer to quickly clean the plate (nearly after each print). I buy it in bulk to reduce the cost, it's really useful to have around anyway and especially if you are also into soldering and electronics in general. To clean the plate, I spray a bit of isopropanol on it and wipe it with microfiber cleaning cloth. Painters tape To improve the seal on my enclosure I use painters tape when the print is difficult and sensitive to temperature changes. This is for me the case with large ASA prints. The tape helps to keeps the heat from escaping from the seams and leave no marks behind. I also use it to hold the start of filament to the spool when I rewind filament spools. Hex-key set A hex-key set comes handy with 3d printers as they tend to be build using screws with these heads patterns. Having a set that stays together is handier than to keep the loose and cheap ones the machine comes with. Greases and oils For the maintenance of my printer I use grease and oil from SuperLube. I put the oil in a needle nose bottle to be more precise than the regular spout. Rod Cleaner To clean my printer's rods during maintenance I printed and use the Rod Sloth tool P1S or AMS specific tools To disconnect the AMS I use AMS Disconnect ToolModel creationCaliper Probably the most important tool to have for model creation is a caliper (ideally digital with 2-digit precision) as it will allow you to measure what you need precisely. I recommend spending a bit more to have a better quality one as it will be of constant use. I use this Preciva caliper, it's robust and precise enough but the zero-ing button is sensitive and at a bit of an annoying place  Print cleaning & assemblyFlush cutters Useful to cut and pry off supports from models I use simple off-brand ones and made a small cap for them as well. They don't need to be the best quality as even these off-brand versions work very well. Keeping bigger wire cutters around can also be useful to allow you to cut bigger tree support branches. Deburring tool To remove brims of models it's useful to have a deburring tool, one blade will be enough for life I think as these were made for metal pipes and no signs of wear can be seen on my used ones yet. While the 3d printed version can serve as a backup deburring tool, I much prefer the one I bought (off-brand), it's heavier and allows the head to swivel easier which greatly improve its usage. To use it put your finger in the small bend near the body with the blade facing you, place it on the edge of a model and slowly pull towards your thumb. Try to be as smooth as possible in between movements to make a long continuous movement. Exacto knife Useful to open filament boxes and packaging, to clean up connectors, ... an exacto is a handy blade to have around. Contrary to the deburring tool, the blades damage over time and need replacement but get a lot of them. Would you wonder, these are much safer than medical scalpels (but still require caution) and are a nice fit for 3d printing. The cheap off-brand holder that I bought for the exacto blades works, like the deburring tool, better than the one I printed afterwards, over time the plastic weakens and allows the blade to wobble which isn't great. Various screwdrivers Flat ones are useful for support removal, especially to slide between supports and your model to break them apart. They are also great to break small tree supports inside voronoi (and alike) models. Other heads are useful for assembling of models with various hardware. Various tweezers Useful to get into tight space. Both straight and curved can be useful, they come usually in a set. I also use an old set where I broke them in halves to serve as poking tools. Glue and glue spreader Glue can be handy to have around for repairing and locking things in place. I never needed gluestick on my printbed however. I found that Bison universal glue works well to glue plastic parts but there are lots of similar glue brands available. For bigger areas I use a small spreader that I made. Clamps You don't need as many as in woodworking but having a few can be useful for some projects. 2 F-style and duck clamps are already enough for example For smaller use cases I also made some Small Repair Clamps Brass Wire Brush I keep a brass wire brush near my printer to brush the nozzle clean of build-ups without damaging it. It can also be useful to brush some loose residue off your models. Heat gun To reduce blemishes and to bend plastic a bit, a heat gun can be handy but it shouldn't be a priority to buy one.OrganisationHoneycomb storage wall (with add-ons) The Honeycomb storage wall (HSW) is a nice system to hang your tools and other things on the wall to get them out of your way and away from your work area. Having a dedicated place for each tool helps with organisation as you are more likely to put it in place, greatly helping you find it next time. Lots of users have made inserts for it, there are too many to list here as I used lots but it's a great system I made plenty of compatible models for it myself as well over time  (see this collection) Pastamatic (with add-ons) Pastamatic is a great tool for the transfer of filament spools, I use it to move cardboard spools to plastic ones an vice versa I printed some add-ons for it as well to improve its functionality:Leadscrew Pin RetainerRetention ClipsNotched Pins and C-ClipsTPU Wiper + Extra Clearance Wiper MountsScrewing it to a plank made a big difference as, before this, the base wasn't necessarily flat which brought movement problems for the balancer.In the past I used plastic rings around the cardboard spools to make them compatible with the AMS but after some time they loose grip as the cardboard moves, so I stopped. Sometimes, inner plastic rings can still be useful to help cardboard spools spin more easily on a regular spool holder, this is typically needed for TPU as otherwise the printer can struggle to pull the flexible filament in with the added friction. For Filament related tools see “The Filament Section”OtherOther common tools for DIY like a drill, sand paper, hammers, work lights, ...Process overview:From box to storageBuy filamentOpen box and plastic with exacto bladePut on spool if refill, change spool if cardboard or leave as-isCut filament end off (about 2cm) and put clip onDry filament... Printing ...Dry filamentPut in vacuum bag with disc and remove the airStore on shelfPrinting methodologyMy printer came with a textured PEI plate and I never need to change it as it prints all basic filaments (PLA, PVA, PETG, TPU, ASA, ...) that I need.I never touch my printplate with my hands, except the very edges occasionally. Flexing the plate can be helpful but otherwise always use a plastic scraper to avoid leaving oily residues from your hands on the plate.To clean my print plate I use dish soap, a sponge and warm water when it needs a deep clean (every 10 prints maybe and after a ASA print) but otherwise I just wipe the surface with a bit of isopropanol.I never need to use gluestick, every print can be removed with a plastic scraper or by flexing slightly the plate. TPU can stick a bit better but a bit of isopropanol near the edges of the print helps to get beneath it.My printer is fully enclosed, I never open or close the door of my printer during a print, removing the top lid for PLA, PVA and TPU is enough.To print large models in ASA I seal the edges of the door of my printer with painters tape top help print adhesion.Due to it being quite wasteful on my printer I rarely print real multicolor objects. I instead make the model multi-part or use filament swaps.Programs and other toolsImage and vector editingAffinity2 In the past I used photoshop but was always annoyed by their scummy practices and subscription-based payment methods. When I found out about affinity 2 that is 1 payment only to have it forever and had good values, I got curious. I tried it and in practice I would say it's even better that what photoshop has to offer and, for the same price of what I paid for only a month, I got the equivalent of photoshop + illustrator (which I didn't have in my photoshop subscription) forever, so I highly recommend it. It's even worse to think that I had photoshop for quite some years to the point were the new price was double of what I was paying per month so it's even more worth it for your probably. When I left photoshop, their final offer to get me to stay was even worse than what I was paying ... so good riddance.   I use affinity photo 2 for editing all the images related to my makes and publications and I use affinity designer 2 to mostly edit svg before using them in a CAD program (simplifies future work a lot). Using Ai is fully optional compared to photoshop as well.  Inkscape It's a free tool but is really useful to transform regular images into vector format (SVGs), it can also simplify these vectors easily to reduce their complexity (the same principle as decimating/reducing a 3d mesh)CADFusion360 Fusion is my main way of making functional models. It has a free version for non-commercial use which I use as I share my models for free. In practice the only thing I miss from the paid version is an improved stl import but while not as nice this can be managed in the free version.  OpenSCAD It requires to understand programming but is a powerful tool to make easy models in a parametric way. The programming aspect can simplify tasks with automation.Mesh manipulationMeshmixer It's a great tool to manipulate objects in a more organic way. I used it to repair, merge and sculpt models. This also a great tool to start making voronoi-like models as there is a build-in pattern maker. The difficulty of voronoi is not the pattern is how you prepare the model for it, in which meshmixer can also help.  Blender (also used for image covers) It's really useful for model management: grouping, splitting, cutting is really easy in it. You can also easily play with the mesh faces, edges and points with it. Don't try it to use as a CAD tool however, it's not for making connectors or parts that rely on each other. A key concept in 3d model creation is decimation/reduction (reducing the number of polygons of a model), which blender handles really well. I also use blender for it's render capabilities which allows me to make nice images of my models for some cover images.Generating special modelsLithophane maker Lithophane maker allows you to basically make 3d pictures. The principle behind is that the darker the pixel, the ticker the plastic will be at this point so that when you put this model in front of the light it will block more of it and appear darker. With the online tool these are easy to make and are unique objects to give as gifts.  MakerLab MakerLab is a bambu lab tool library that constantly grows and that simplifies the creation of models for less technical users. One of them is a nice Ai imageTo3D generator that allows you to obtain approximate models, there is no point in publishing it directly but you can refine the result for your needs. As my sculpting is self-taught and quite basic for the moment it can help me obtain a rough shape to train on as well.3d scanningI received the 3dmakerpro Moose 3d scanner as a gift, maybe a bit too soon in my 3d printing hobby as it's a bit underused but I already was able to make models with it that I otherwise wouldn't have been able to do. It works really well and I am really happy with the results. As these were mostly private repairs, I didn't post models from it yet but I might in the future if a non-copyrighted opportunity presents itself.To improve the scanning comfort, I use these 3d printed add-ons:Vertical MountLens CoverI found that using Gouache, a water-based paint works well to add texture to an object to help with scanning (for when it has troubles like for dark shiny objects). You don't fully paint the object, you just brush some on randomly to help the scanner locate itself. Once the scanning is done you can then simply rinse the object with water.ProgrammingI know several programming languages (Python, Java, C family, Javascript, ... ), so I create when needed my own small programs. When they relate to a published model, I share them freely on this github repo but they aren't necessarily advanced nor properly made.PostambleThanks for reading through this article, I hope some things were useful to you. I plan to update this along the way my setup develops, so maybe check it out again at a later date (after some months) if you want but with this you already have a good idea. I might also do similar articles later, depending on my time and on repeated questions/topics.